Sunbeam
by RoryDysfunction
Summary: A demigod who shouldn't exist. A pair that would never work. They thought the drama was over. They had saved the world, stopped the second giant war from happening. But an unexpected arrival at camp stirs things up again. A god who can't take a hint isn't an easy trial to face. Maybe she should have stayed hidden, but the Fates are determined to get their way. Apollo/OC
1. You Shouldn't Be Here

**Okay, so I recently reread the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus/Trials of Apollo books and this plot bunny has been eating me since I started and so now the only way to get rid of it is to start writing it. Basically I'm taking things into my own hands. This will be a bit AU, as in the Trials of Apollo never happens. Things were settled after HoO and, you know, as peaceful as they can be for a short time until this story starts. I may keep some parts of the canon post HoO but we'll see. I'm kinda pantsing this one so we'll see where it goes. **

**This is going to be a mature story. I started reading Percy Jackson when I was in sixth grade and that was eleven years ago. This is my attempt to bring more adult problems into the world of Percy Jackson. The main character (OC) is an adult and this story will deal with some more mature topics, and yes, there will be smut. All possibly triggering chapters will be marked as so at the beginning in the authors note. I have aged up Apollo a bit from the age he appears in the books, and if you wish to know how I'm going to be picturing him in this story, Christopher Mason is my inspiration for Apollo.**

**With that in mind, let's get to it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. **

* * *

Astra hadn't meant to appear in the middle of a children's summer camp. In fact, she hadn't meant for a lot to happen. But she couldn't dwell much on the past in that moment because she was more concerned with the dozen various swords and arrows pointing at her where she sat in the middle of a strawberry field. It wasn't so much the weapons that worried her; it was the children holding them. They all looked like very real weapons and none of the children holding them were older than sixteen. At least, none of them looked older than that. These days you could never tell.

It had to be past noon, the sun in her eyes and the heat from it bearing down on her. She felt like she would burst into flames, sweat already starting to trickle down her spine. Too much longer and her skin would start to burn. She doesn't know why or how she knows this, but she does.

"Who are you?" The oldest of the group of children is the one to speak. His sea-blue eyes are intense as they stare at her with apprehension.

Who was she? That was a good question. Maybe it's the heat or maybe she really doesn't remember but her mind is coming up blank. She stares up at the dark-haired boy, her thoughts starting to swirl together and melt in her brain. "I...I'm not sure…"

The boy shares a glance with a look with one of the other children before motioning behind him with his free hand to the shadow cast from a two-story farmhouse behind him. "You came out of the shadow. How?"

She frowns. She had come from the shadow? It made little sense to her. And apparently it made little sense to them too. A few of the children glance to the left as the sound of hoofbeats gets closer. There's a man riding a white horse coming over to them. Wait...he is the horse. Where he should have had legs the body of a white horse melded with his torso. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe she was just seeing things.

She wipes the sweat from her eyes, pointing to the shade. "Have to...shade…"

She can't even think in full sentences, her blood feeling like it was boiling. It couldn't possibly be that hot outside. No one else seemed bothered by the heat of the day as the dark-haired boy fills the horse man in on what had happened. She wished she could hear it but they all sounded garbled, like she was listening to a conversation underwater. Her head was pounding and her world felt like it was tipping sideways. Or maybe it was actually tilting sideways.

Chiron looked down at the girl slumped over in the strawberry field. According to those who saw she appeared from the shadow of the Big House suddenly and fell right into the strawberry field, startling several satyrs and dryads. She hadn't appeared dangerous, especially now, but they all knew better. It wasn't every day that someone popped out of a shadow in the middle of their camp. She wasn't mortal. That they knew for sure. But she didn't look particularly dangerous slumped over in the field, half conscious and breathing shallowly. If he looked just right it almost looked like she was steaming.

"Let's get her inside." He finally says, the campers lowering their weapons.

Percy and Jason take one side each, lifting the girl out of the strawberries. She was limp between the two boys, her head hanging as they dragged her into the Big House and back into the infirmary. He sent for Will Solace, lowering himself back into his wheelchair. He wheeled himself into the girl's infirmary room, Percy attempting to cool her down by dabbing a damp cloth across her face but every time the water touched her skin it would sizzle and turn into steam.

"I've never seen anything like it." Percy shakes his head, giving up on the wet cloth. "She wasn't in the sun for more than ten minutes."

"Maybe she pissed off Apollo somehow and now he exacts revenge anytime she steps in the sun." Jason says.

Chiron frowns, looking at the girl. He hadn't thought her very special at first when he'd seen her. But she had managed to shadow travel right into their camp. There was an energy around her, less now in her weakened state but he knew the moment she got her strength back it would be much stronger. He'd met many heroes, trained many of them. He'd spent time around demigods, met some powerful ones. Even Jason and Percy held a different energy than some. But none of them had shared the same energy she did.

The door to the room opens, Will Solace entering. He eyes the girl on the bed before turning to Chiron. "This is her?"

Of course word would have spread across camp already. He wouldn't be surprised if campers weren't standing outside the Big House waiting for news of their mysterious newcomer. Chiron nods to Will. "Yes. Those who saw her arrive said she came out of the shadow cast by the Big House. She was in the sun for no more than ten minutes and this happened to her."

Will moves to the girl's side, looking her over. He placed a hand on her forehead, the other tracing the bright red skin on her arm. It looked as if it was already starting to peel. "Sunburn. Heat stroke. She didn't come through like this already?"

Chiron looked to Percy and Jason. They shared a look before shaking their heads. "No," Percy says. "She looked like she was normal. Not sunburned at all."

"Could it be Apollo's doing?" Jason asks.

Will shakes his head. "I don't think so. It's hard to say though. I think he'd be more likely to just hit her with a plague arrow or burn her to a crisp instantly. I can ask Nico if he knows anything."

"I do not think she is a child of Hades." Chiron says, running his hand down his face. "She is too old. She would have been the one in the prophecy if that were the case."

Will nods. "She...feels different."

"Yes. She does." Chiron agrees. "But I cannot be certain why. Perhaps when she wakes we can get more answers from her. For now we can only go on about our daily as usual." He gives Percy and Jason a look.

He can tell they're both hesitant to leave, curious about the girl. Chiron was curious as well but she was in capable hands now. They would have to wait for her to wake before they could get any answers, if she would give them. They would just have to wait and see.

It's nearly dinner before Astra wakes. She feels dizzy still, like her head is stuffed with cotton and her mouth feels like she'd been licking sand all day. Her vision is blurry but she can make out a form bent over her. She blinks the dizziness away, trying to get her eyes to focus on the person over her. Blonde hair, blue eyes. He's young but she can tell he'll be handsome when he gets older. For some reason his face makes her feel almost melancholy. He feels familiar but in a distant way. Like she's seen him before but she can't place it.

A glass is pressed to her lips, cool liquid touching her chapped lips. She drinks the liquid, thicker than water but flavored like peanut brittle. She feels drained; the light coming in the windows doing nothing to help her headache.

"Can you close them?" She tries to speak, but it comes out weak and garbled, like she had swallowed a cup of lava.

The face above her frowns and she points to the drapes hanging beside the windows. He seems to get the message, cutting off the light not completely, but enough that it was less irritating than it had been before. The boy comes back to her side, sitting down next to her in the spot he'd been before.

"Who are you?" Her voice is getting stronger, whatever she had drank working its way through her, strengthening her slowly.

"My name is Will Solace, head counselor of the Apollo cabin. This is Camp Half Blood. You appeared here earlier today. Do you...remember anything?"

Her confused look must have told him everything he needed to know. He seemed to be speaking a different language. Apollo? Camp Half Blood? It made little sense but at the same time she felt like she should know what he was saying. As far as remembering...she didn't remember. She couldn't remember. She remembered appearing in the strawberry fields earlier. She remembered burning in the sunlight. But she couldn't remember anything else.

"You're older than any other demigod we've had here. At least that I can remember. I would guess you'd be Roman. They have older demigods, even descendants of demigods at Camp Jupiter. But I have a feeling that's not the case. It's never that easy. Can you really not remember anything?"

She thought hard for a moment. Something was coming to her, like a piece of a puzzle trying to fit somewhere in the pieces that were already put together. "Astra. My name is Astra."

Will nods slowly. "Astra. Okay, that's a start. Chiron will want to speak to you…" Astra swung her legs over the side of the bed, sitting up. "You maybe should stay where you are."

Perhaps she should have listened to him. Her entire world listed sideways as she moved, her vision nearly going double again. She could feel Will holding her steady, his hands warm and gentle as he supported her. Something about the way he touched her sent her stomach lurching, something trying to bubble to the surface, a memory fighting its way through the fog in her head, but she can't quite reach it. She steels herself, willing her vision to clear and the world to right itself again.

"I'm alright." She doesn't realize that Will has already let go of her, watching as she shakily got to her feet. She let her center-of-gravity right itself again, her legs taking their time to remember how to stand before she turns to Will. "Now, let's go speak to Chiron."

Will could do nothing but nod, moving to the door. He leads her out of the infirmary, taking her to the main room of the Big House. It looked empty, so he moved out to the porch, thankfully facing away from the sun. He didn't want a repeat of what happened earlier. Chiron is standing next to the porch in his centaur form, speaking with Mr. D who was seated at his usual spot, playing pinochle.

Both men looked up as they stepped out the door, an unreadable expression crossing Mr. D's face. He stood from his seat, looking almost in disbelief. "You're not supposed to be here." He came around the table, but refused to step past the side closest to them. "You're supposed to be with your mother. In Tartarus."


	2. Half-Blood?

**So it's been like 87 years since I updated this story but I've been thinking about it a lot recently and I had half of this chapter written up so I thought I'd give it a go and try writing some more of it while I have the inspiration. A lot of talk in this part but there is some excitement at the end! Any guesses on who Astra's mother is? I haven't totally given it away yet, but perhaps in the next chapter or two things may come to light. **

**Also, if you want a mental image, I picture Apollo looking like Christopher Mason Brown in this story. **

**musicluvr246: **Thank you! So sorry its' taken so long to update this one!

**RandomBlondeChick: **Thank you! Hopefully there's still interest in it...

**gossamermouse101: **Thank you so much! Your review kinda spurred me into finishing this chapter and getting it posted. I've been thinking about this story for a bit now but it's nice to know people are still interested in it, even though it's been over a year since I posted it.

**Enjoy!**

Astra's head is pounding. Mr. D, which she'd quickly learned was short for Dionysus, had been grilling her for answers, which had quickly changed to grilling her for anything she could remember. She remembered her name, and she remembered appearing in the strawberry field, but that was it. He had given up trying with her and was now speaking with Chiron in what Astra assumed was supposed to be quiet conversation, but she could hear them both clearly. She didn't understand a lot, but she gathered she wasn't supposed to be there. She at least had a mother, and she was supposed to be with her. Most of the questions Mr. D had asked her made no sense. He obviously knew her, but he didn't seem familiar to her. Not even a feeling.

The sun was setting, painting the sky outside the window in deep oranges and reds. She felt comforted by this, the impending darkness offering her the first comforting feeling she can remember feeling. Her gaze had been drawn to the leopard on the wall, watching it move. She's sure at any other time it would have shocked her, but it was just another unexplainable thing to add to the list.

Her attention is drawn away from the leopard when Chiron wheels himself over to her. Mr. D had disappeared, and she was now alone with the centaur.

"I understand this has been a stressful day for you, but I'm sure you have some questions of your own."

Astra nods, chewing on her lip. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Then how about I tell you about the camp and at least what Mr. D has told me and we'll go from there."

Astra nods, preparing herself for a barrage of information.

Chiron wheels himself towards the door. "Follow me."

Astra stands, feeling stronger than she had when she'd first sat down. She follows Chiron back out onto the porch where she finds him lifting himself out of his wheelchair. Despite the fact that the first time she'd seen him, he'd been in his half-horse form, it still is shocking to see him transform himself so effortlessly.

Chiron must have noticed her staring because he is quick to explain. "The chair is magic. It allows me to disguise myself in order to enter the mortal world."

"The mortal world?"

Astra follows Chiron down the steps, and out towards the strawberry fields where she'd appeared. Despite the few lights, she found she could see perfectly in the dark. She guessed most people would have felt uncomfortable, even afraid by the many looming shadows, but she felt nothing but comfort from their presence.

Chiron stops in front of the strawberry fields, all signs of her arrival gone. The kicked up dirt and torn up plants gone. It was like she had never been there at all. That thought has an icy feeling surging through her veins, twisting her gut into shapes she's sure it's not supposed to be in. Chiron turns away from the fields, facing the camp instead. The campers were making their way back to their cabins, filing along in the darkness. All of them knew where to go, all of them belonged somewhere. The twisting in her gut is joined by a bitter taste in her mouth.

"This is Camp Half Blood. A safe place for demigods to learn and train away from the dangers of the outside world." Astra already has ten questions, but she guesses most of them are about to be answered. "Demigods are the children of the affairs between the gods and mortals."

"Gods?"

"The Greek gods, to be specific, and a few Roman now. Their lives are harder, and often shorter than the average mortal, as monsters are drawn to their unique scent. This camp is protected at its borders from monsters and mortals alike."

Chiron begins moving again, making his way through the camp, Astra following. "So then, I must be a demigod if I showed up here."

Chiron is silent for a moment. "Yes. At least, according to Mr. D, that is correct."

"He seemed like he knew me, but I don't remember him."

"He knew of you. According to him, you caused quite the stir when you were discovered. In our knowledge, someone like you hasn't ever existed before."

"Someone like me?"

Chiron stops just a few feet from the cabins standing around a fire pit. "Most demigods are born of the twelve Olympian gods or, occasionally, a minor god or goddess. But, according to Mr. D, that is not the case with you."

Chiron leads her towards the fire pit, the cabins looming on either side of her. He tells her the story of the Olympian gods, weaving together the stories from the beginning of time until now. She felt like there was a lot more to be told, but Chiron stuck to the important parts.

"According to Mr. D, your mother is far older than the Olympians." Astra walks past Chiron after he stops, approaching the two largest cabins at the head of the line. "Much older, and far more powerful."

Astra feels as if the surrounding cabins are closing in, the two in front of her looming over her, making her feel small. She feels as if she's been here before; the power radiating off of them choking her, stealing the very breath from her lungs.

A hand on her shoulder snaps her back into reality, drawing her attention away from the cabins. "Are you alright?" Chiron asks her, standing over her.

"I...I feel like I've been here before." She looks around. "Not here, in this particular spot, but...it feels familiar."

"Whatever the reason may be, you _were _sent here for a reason. You're certainly not the first demigod to arrive here with no memory."

Chiron steers her away from the cabins, but one of them catches her gaze. It's smaller than the two at the head of the line, but it's glowing a golden color in the firelight. She knows it has to shine in the sun, no doubt giving off a radiant golden glow. The look of it has her stomach churning again and her skin prickling like it's burning. She quickly catches up to Chiron, shoving the feelings the cabin brought up in her mind to the side.

* * *

Astra can't bring herself to sleep. She had been fed after her tour of the camp by Chiron and then had retired to bed. The sun would be rising soon. She wasn't sure how she knew, but the comfortable feeling she had gotten from the darkness was quickly fading. She had been given a room in the Big House for the time being, seeing as her mother had no cabin at camp and no doubt her presence was causing some uncertainty amongst the campers. Apparently news had spread fast of her sudden appearance and the mystery surrounding her was a big deal.

Despite the previous day's excitement, Astra doesn't feel tired. She still couldn't remember everything, and the load of information she'd received from Chiron hadn't lessened her confusion any. In fact, parts of it only made her more confused. From what she could make sense of, something had happened. Something had happened that had warranted having her sent to Camp Half Blood with no memory. Apparently things like that didn't just happen, despite it being rather common recently.

Chiron had told her of the happenings of the past few months. Gaea, the war with the giants, the battle between the Roman and Greek camps, the near destruction of Camp Half Blood, which she had seen remnants of despite the work that had been done to repair it over the past couple weeks. She had no memory of that happening, though Chiron said it was unlikely even if she had her memory she would know much of the happenings of the world. Apparently Astra spent most of her time in a place called Tartarus. Judging by the look on Chiron's face every time he mentioned it, it wasn't a very nice place. He hadn't given her many details about it, but she still could tell it wasn't a place you would vacation at exactly.

This fact didn't help calm her down any.

Astra stays in her bed all day, wary of the light after what had happened the day before. She begins to relax as the sun starts to set, the sky darkening and the shadows moving in closer. It makes her feel comforted, the darkness.

She waits until the sun has set to leave her room, making her way down to the living room. Chiron is there, reading through a book. She can't see the title, not that it would make any difference to her. It's not like she would recognize it or anything.

Chiron looks up at her as she enters, his mouth open to say something to her, but he's interrupted by the door flying open. All eyes turn to look at the figure entering, flanked by Mr. D. She suddenly feels underdressed, wearing a borrowed orange Camp Half Blood shirt and her jeans from the day before, stained with dirt from the strawberry fields.

"Astra, what in the nine muses are you doing here?" He asks her, gripping her arms with his hands. His grip is firm, her brain registering that he could easily break her arm if he wanted to. "I almost scorched half of New England when I saw you yesterday. I would have come sooner, but I had some business to attend to last night." His touch makes her stomach jerk, churning painfully in the same way the golden cabin had made her feel. His touch is hot, too hot, her skin prickling like it had when she'd been out in the sun.

"Astra?" He asks, stopping his monologue.

Astra takes a step back, his hands dropping to his sides. Her skin still feels hot where he'd touched her, Astra's stomach still churning. "I'm sorry." She says, taking a deep breath, looking into his eyes that seem to be every shade of gold and brown swirled together into one. "I don't know who you are."


	3. It Had To Be Her?

**So, this is a little bit shorter but I really wanted to get the first meeting with Apollo done and plus you get to learn a little something about Astra as well. A lot of dialogue in this chapter, but the action is coming next, I promise. **

**Guest: **Oh man, so much is going to happen!

**gossamermouse101: **Yes, Apollo is finally here! For now...

**narigoh: **Yes Apollo finally made it! Definitely still a slow upload for this story though.

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You really don't remember anything?"

Astra is starting to get tired of being asked that question. She was sitting on the couch in the Big House, the blonde-haired man sitting on the coffee table facing her. She can still remember the look he'd given her when she said she didn't know who he was. It was the truth, though. She didn't know him.

His hands are suddenly on her face, the burning feeling returning. His eyes are closed, face drawn in concentration. She can't help but take in the lines of his face, the perfect structure almost like he was carved from stone. Her entire body is tingling by the time he pulls away, but not in a good way. Almost like she had just been violated.

"Well, it's not a physical problem causing the amnesia." He runs a hand over his face, leaning his elbows on his knees as he looks at her. She feels small, like a child under his gaze in that moment. She feels uncomfortable, her muscles tensing, ready to run. He sighs, looking up at her. "You really don't remember me?"

Astra shakes her head, chewing on her lip. "No."

He sighs, standing. "I need to go speak with someone. I'll be back."

He exits just as dramatically as he came in, leaving Astra, Chiron and Mr. D. behind.

* * *

Apollo's knuckles are white as he drives the sun chariot to Olympus. He hadn't thought his father was being serious when he'd hinted at a punishment for Apollo's actions during the second giant war. Sure, he had made his mistakes, but he hadn't thought anything Zeus could do would affect him this much. Of course he would hit at such a low blow.

Apollo had done as much as he could to keep their relationship secret. But it seemed nothing was secret anymore. Somehow, some way Zeus had found out, and now Astra was paying for his mistakes.

Apollo practically throws open the doors to the throne room, practically burning with rage. Zeus is sitting in his throne, watching him approach, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What did you do?" Apollo asks, stopping a few feet from Zeus' throne.

"I warned you there would be a punishment for your actions."

"But you had to choose her? Out of everything you could have done, you chose her?"

"Your actions nearly caused a war that would have had detrimental consequences. Therefore, you will face consequences for those actions. You meddled with someone off limits to you. Now you will pay for that decision."

There's a knot in Apollo's chest, emotion threatening to choke him. He didn't love Astra. Did he care for her? Yes. But as Zeus said, she was off limits.

"Her mother won't approve of this."

"She already knows." Zeus says simply. The throne room starts to darken, like all the lights had been sucked out of it suddenly. "We discussed it and I convinced her this needed to be done."

Apollo feels a tingle up his spine, feeling like the very fire that drove him as the sun god had been extinguished.

"Apollo." The voice makes his bones shake, power radiating through the room unmatched by even the twelve Olympians together.

Apollo turns around, staring up at the giant form standing near the hearth. The very throne room seemed small and dark with her in it, her presence dampening the last of his defiant spirit. Her figure formed out of the darkness as she approached him, tall and regal, eyes like quasars piercing his soul. Her dark wings seemed to spread darkness across the throne room, stretching nearly one end to the other. Darkness wanted to swallow him whole.

He spares a glance back at Zeus' throne, only to find it empty. No support here whatsoever. He turns back to the hulking mass of darkness in front of him, steeling himself as much as he can.

"Hello, Nyx."

* * *

Astra stares down at the food on her plate, her hunger gone after the visit from the blonde stranger. She was alone, thankfully, most of the camp sleeping. Chiron had warned her about the cleaning harpies and their agreement to eat any camper out of their cabins at night, though he said he would speak to them about letting her be out at night.

The thought makes Astra feel lonely.

Despite being comforted by the darkness, it made her feel lonely.

Had she always been this lonely? Was this why the blonde man had made such a big deal about her not remembering him? The thought of it all makes her stomach twist painfully, the sight of the food on the plate making her feel nauseous. She wished she could remember something. Anything. But everything was blank. She had no memory of her parents, no memory of her childhood, no memory of things that seemed like they should be important.

She's not even sure when her birthday is.

Her attention is drawn back to the door as it opens again, the blonde stranger entering, this time with less gusto than he had the first time. He's paler than before, looking shaken, like he'd seen a ghost. He makes his way over to her, taking his seat again on the coffee table in front of her. She grips her plate, staring into his golden brown eyes again. He stares back silently, taking her in. The arrogance that had been perceptible in his eyes before was gone, replaced by something akin to sadness. Astra can't call it that exactly, but she seems to know it's as close to sadness as he can get.

"We...knew each other." Astra says, breaking the silence. It wasn't so much a question anymore.

He nods. "We did. We…" He grimaces, still managing to look handsome while doing it. "We did."

"And...we were close." She hadn't gotten that idea just from him. Mr. D. had implied there was more to their relationship than she could understand from her short meeting earlier that evening.

He nods again, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah."

Astra sets the plate of food aside, pulling her knees to her chest. "I don't remember. I don't remember anything. People keep...acting like I should, but...I don't."

He nods again. "I know. It's...it's going to take some time." He runs a hand over his face. "I can't...say anything...but I...I'll be here. To check up on you. I know this whole thing must be so…"

"Strange. Terrifying." Astra offers up adjectives to describe her feelings since she'd arrived at the camp.

He smiles a little. "Yeah. Exactly. You're safe here, though. Safer than you've been anywhere else. Except maybe with your mother. But you'll be taken care of here. I'll stop by when I can to see how you're doing, if that's alright."

Astra hesitates for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Sure."

A smile lights up his face, and Astra suddenly sees why someone would want to be close to him. "Great. It's, uh, getting close to dawn so I have to go, but if you need anything, you can just ask."

Astra frowns. "But I don't even know your name."

He smiles at her again. "Apollo. My name's Apollo."


End file.
